Fraud preventing device



1932- J. GOTI'FRIED PREVENTING DEVICE Filed April 24, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Jar/Al 6 0 7'7'f'R/ED BYMW ATTORNEYS Jan. 5, 1932.

J. GOTTF'RIED FRAUD PREVENTING DEVI CE Filed April 24, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR t/Of/N GOTTFR/ED ATTORNEYS Jan. 5, 1932. J. GOTTFRIED FRAUD PREVENTING DEVICE Filed April 24, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 RD Wm 05 E a? w n/w NT 7T 6 W 0 Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES J GO'ITFRIED, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK FRAUD PREVENTING DEVICE Application filed April 24,

The present invention relates to fraud preventing apparatus for use on coin controlled machines and has for an Object to provide improved apparatus for separating genuine 5 coins from counterfeit coins and slugs. Genuine coins are uniformly made of certain metals and the slugs used for fraudulently operating coin controlled machinesare made invariably of other materials than the genu- 1 inc coins. It is therefore possible by the use of selective devices which affect differently coins made of different metals to separate certain selected genuine coins from various other coins, counterfeit coins or slugs made of other materials.

The present invention hasbeen developed more particularly in connection with the production of a coin separating device for use on a coin controlled mechanism designed to be operated by a nickel five cent pieceand for the purposes of illustrating the principles of the invention such an embodiment of the invention will be more particularly described. It will be understood, however, that certain 7 features of the invention are equally applicable to devices for separating other coins, such, for example, as silver coins.

Referring to the drawings in which is illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of a device embodying the principles of the invention,

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, certain parts being broken away to better disclose other parts,

Fig. 3 is an edge view similar to Fig. 2 but taken from the opposite side of the device,

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the device,

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4., and

Fig. 6 is a detail view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In the structure shown for the purposes of illustration, a coin inserted in the apparatus is caused to roll by gravity along a passage leading to a coin controlled machine, suit- 1 able provision being made for diverting coins of smaller denomination or slugs which may 1930. Serial No. 446,828.

beinserted in an attempt fraudulently to operate the machine. A proper coin inserted into the apparatus through a coin slot 5 drops vertically to the floor of an inclined coin chute 6 and rolls therealong with substantial velocity to a vertical chute 7 whence it drops' to a second inclined chute 8 wherein it rolls in the opposite direction and passes to a vertical chute 9 which leads to the machine to be operated.

Provision is made for deflecting from the upper chute slugs formed from iron and lead. As shown, the upper chute is formed with a gap 10 toward its lower end and at a point at which the coin rolling in the chute has attained a substantial velocity. A nickel five cent piece rolling along the chute 6 will attain a sufficient velocity to pass over the gap 10 and continue to the vertical chute 7 Provision is made, however, for causing iron or 7 lead slugs to fall through the gap to a chute 12. The means shown for diverting an iron slug consists of a permanent magnet 15 which will draw an iron or steel slug with suflicient force to divert it from the normal path down into the chute 12. The provision for diverting the lead slugs through the gap comprises an arrangement whereby the lead slug rolls at a slower velocity along the chute 6, such that when it reaches the gap 10 it will fall through the gap instead of assing across the gap. This is accomplished y one or both of two differentexpedients. The chute 6 is made of brass or other suitable material and is slightly tilted laterally from the vertical whereby the coin rolling on edge leans somewhat against one side of the chute to engage the same frictionally. A lead coin will engage the brass or other relatively hard metal wall of the chute with greater friction than a coin of harder metal, such as nickel, and its movement will be correspondingly retarded. A felt strip 16 is placed in the bottom of the chute 6 on which strip the coin rolls. The character of a lead coin is such that as it rolls on the felt it will attain a less velocity than a nickel coin or a silver coin, or coins of several other metals. In order to separate light weight disks, such as can be made of fibre or the like, a light weight pen- 1 dulum 17 is sus ended in the chute 6 adjacent the further ed ge of the gap 10. A heavy inetal coin rolling along the chute will strike the pendulum with sufiicient force to swing it up and rmit the coin to ass but a light weight 'sk-will fall back t rough the gap 10 and into the chute 12.

The lower chute is provided with an arrangement for separating various slugs from the nickel coins. In the arran ement shown an opening 18 is formed in t e bottom of the lower chute 8 through which all coins rolling down said chute will pass. A strong permanent magnet 20 is provided with pole pieces 21 which lie against the brass side wall of the chute 8 to provide in the chute 8 a stron magnetic field at a point immediately a ve thegap 18. The action of the magnetic field on coins rolling along the chute 8 is such that aluminum, copper and certain other disks will be very much retarded in their movement while passing through the magnetic field between the pole pieces whereas nickel and silver will be less retarded. It will be noted that the side walls of the chute are smooth and continuous betwee the magnet poles to avoid mechanically ob-' structing the passage of a coin. In order to facilitate the separation of the spurious coins a in 22 is carried on an adjustable arm 23 he d in osition by a set screw 24. The position of the pin 22 is so adjusted that certain desired coins will pass over the top of the pin and into the chute 9 leading to the coin controlled machine to be operated, whereas coins or slugs of copper, aluminum and certain other metals will strike the pin and fall back into the discard chute 25 to be returned through the aperture 26. The chute 12 leading from the gap 10 of the upper chute also discharged into the chute 25 to return coins through the aperture 26.

It is desirable to make provision for preventing a spurious coin from bein given an initial velocity which will carry it past the gap 10. To this end a stop member 28 is so positioned in the chute that it will be struck by and will stop momentarily a coin thrown through the slot 5, but will permit all coins to ass beneath it after falling vertically to t e bottom of the chute.

Coins dropping through the vertical chute 7 may bounce and therefore roll with less velocity in the lower chute 8 but this can be prevented by inserting a stop member 30 to guide a bouncing coin and insure that it shall begin rolling at substantially the upper end of the chute 8.

The several parts of the device and especially the coin chutes are preferably made of non-magnetic material on account of the presence of the permanent magnet.

From the foregoing description, it will be clear that a nickel five cent piece passed through the slot 5 will roll with substantial merely velocity alon the chute and across the ap 10, the pendu um 17 being swung forwarc? b the coin to permit its passage. The coin will then drop through the chute 7 and roll along the chute 8 with such a velocity as to cause it to pass over the pin 22 to the chute 9leadin" to the machine to be operated. On the other hand coins or slugs of various other materials will be returned through the outlet aperture 26 and will not operate the coin controlled machine to which the device is ap lied.

he foregoing description is illustrative and is not limits of the invention.

I claim 1. A spurious coin separating device comprising, in combination, a coin chute inclined longitudinally in a eneral vertical plane and having substantiafiy vertical side walls spaced a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of'a coin to cause a coin to roll thcrealong at a predetermined speed and inclined laterally to provide friction between the rolling coin and the chute wall, said coin chute being formed with a gap for diverting slowly moving coins but across which rapidly moving COlIlS can pass.

A spurious coin separating device comprising, in combination, a coin chute inclined longitudinally in a vertical plane and having substantially vertical side walls spaced a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of a coin to cause a coin to roll thcrealong by gravity at a relatively hi h speed, a resilient pad in the bottom of sai chute in which the coin rolls with only the edge of the coin engaging the pad to retard the movement of lead coins thcrealong.

3. A spurious coin separating device comprising, in combination, a coin chute inclined longitudinally in a vertical plane and having substantially vertical side walls spaced a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of a coin to cause a coin to roll thcrealong by gravity at a relativel high speed, a felt pad in the bottom of said chute in which the coin rolls with only the edge of the coin engaging the pad to retard the movement of lead coins therealong, provision being made for the separation of the faster and slower moving coins.

A spurious coin separatin device comprising, in combination, a longitudinally inclined coin chute havingsubstantiallyvertical side walls spaced a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of a coin along which coins can roll under the influence of gravlty, a felt strip in the bottom of said chute on which the coins roll with only their edges engaging the felt, said chute bein formed with a gap across which rapidly rol ing coins will pass and through which slowly rolling coins will fall.

5. A spurious coin separating device comintended as defining the prising, in combination, a longitudinally inclined coin chute havingsubstantiallyvertical side walls spaced a distance only slightly greater than the thickness of a coin along which coins can roll under the influence of gravity, said chute being slightly tilted laterally from the vertical to cause the coins to bear against one wall as they roll with only their edges engaging the felt along the chute whereby lead slugs will be more retarded than genuine coins by the reater friction.

In testimony whereof have aifixed my signature to this specification.

JOHN GOTTFRIED. 

